Fall From Grace
by rukiahana
Summary: Even angels fall from grace sometimes. Ryousuke X OC. Chapter 3 updated
1. Prologue

_A/N: This is my first Initial D fiction. Honest to God, I haven't even watched the anime before, let alone read the manga. Everything is based on google research and a few pointers from senior fics which can be found here in FF. Anyway, I hope this one may peak your interest :D Read and enjoy! _

_Disclaimer: Own nothing except for a beat-up laptop and very active imagination._

_N/B: Calcaneal fracture is also known as the heel-bone fracture. Hurts like hell, can cripple you for awhile, but it will heal given time but yes, may result in long-time complication._

Takahashi Ryousuke was a lot of things. He was a son, an heir, a doctor in the making. He was a brother, a friend, a mentor. He was a man, an idol, a God on the circuit. He was successful, he was respected, he was adored. He was a man with mission and ambition. He was a lot of things until a week ago. A week ago, he became nothing except for a cripple.

The bandaged leg was an ugly sight in his peripheral vision. The sunlight that filtered through the drawn curtain of the hospital ward glowed with vivacity as it shone of the bouquets of flowers that were arranged neatly on the table by the window. Again, it was a gracious morning.

Seven days of waking up on the hospital bed immobile. Seven days of learning to accept the fact that he may never be able to step on the gas pedal anymore.

The painful truth had hurt, but surprisingly he was taking it well. He had had not shouted or screamed yet, throwing accusation to God for the turning of the table. He knew he had every right to lose his mind. He was tempted to go crazy, to kick the gurney with his good leg, the hurl the food tray across the room, or just to shout profanities for the world to hear.

He was tired of being strong. As the eldest son, he was always expected to shoulder the responsibility of being an elder brother and an expected heir. He put up with med school while trying to juggle his time with his parents' expectation and his own passion for racing.

For once in his life, he thought about breaking down. It shouldn't be too hard. All he needed to do was admit defeat.

Life may be unfair.

And just for heck, he lifted a hand and cleared the breakfast tray from the gurney. The clank of the metal matched the rhythm of his heart.

XXXXX


	2. You and I

Sakaguchi Ayumi cringed at the sound of metal met concrete. It seemed like it came from the room by the end of the corridor, where her newly assigned patient resided. She cursed. She broke into a quick jog.

After bursting through the door, she gaped at the sight. Sushi rolls littered the floor. A smashed mug with its content decorated the periphery. She rushed to her patient's side, her brows knitting in concern. "Takahashi-san, what's the matter? Are you in pain?" she asked hurriedly. According to his medical record, which she was trying to familiarize earlier before making a dash into the room, the morphine drip was stopped a few days ago and her patient had to start relying on oral painkillers. _Or was he having a seizure?_ She did not notice the warning in his medical record. _Would you please actually look at me? _

The man panted slightly, his breathing labored yet regular.

"Takahashi-san, are you alright?" she said, repeating herself.

He narrowed his eyes. Just what he needed. Another person pretending to give a shit. "Who are you?" he snarled.

"I am Sakaguchi, the new houseman officer assigned for your case. Please, tell me, are you in any sort of pain?" Ayumi responded quickly, her head bent down slightly to listen to her patient's complaints.

He grunted. "No."

Ayumi wrinkled her head in confusion. "Did your hand limp on you or something?" she tried again, finding for a valid answer to the reason as to why the food tray was lying upside down on the floor.

"No."

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Alright. But let me check your hand for reflexes and muscle tone, just in case, alright?"

He grunted again, this time louder than the last time. "Don't bother yourself."

Ayumi inhaled deeply. She loved her job and everything but dealing with arrogant and unfriendly patients was not exactly her best forte. "It's not going to hurt, I guarantee you that," she persisted.

"I knocked down the tray myself, okay? Now would you please leave me alone?" he finally combusted.

Ayumi was mute for a second. Even if she was astonished by the man's outburst, she did not let it show. Straightening herself up, she gave him a tight smile. "Very well, sir. Do you want me to bring you a new set of breakfast?"

"Just go, alright?"

She sighed. Pulling out a pen from her labcoat pocket, she proceeded to the foot of the bed to retrieve the patient's worksheet. "Give me five minutes, okay? Let me just take a look at your operation wound and your arterial pulse then you won't see me til this evening. Sounds good?" she compromised.

"It's fine."

"Really?" she replied, her own hands were already assessing the bandaged leg. She palpated the uncovered area of the foot for any infiltration and swelling. Sensing none, she moved to lift the thin blanket to reveal a well-toned calf. She felt around the ankle for a pulse, and smiled when she found one.

Her lips curled into a smile, an autopilot every time her patients were on the right track to recovery. But the smile faltered when her eyes met with the brown ones of this man. He was scowling. Heck, in fact, he was near ripping her head off with the look he was giving her. If only looks could kill, she'd be six feet under by then.

"I told you I'm fine!"

Taken aback, her jaw fell slightly open. "Are you telling me _off_ for doing my job?" she asked, incredulous.

The man stared back at her, surprised at her reprisal.

_Deep breaths, Ayumi. Your houseman marks depend on this dude. So, no messing up. _"Takahashi-san, I am just doing my job. My job is to get you better. I can't say I know how it feels like to be immobile, but you are going to heal, okay? So please, all I'm asking is for you to understand, I am here to treat you, and a little co-operation would be nice," she spoke calmly, holding the worksheet board close to her chest.

It was silence for awhile. She took the time to analyze her patient's general condition. She knew he was around her age, 23-ish. Had a tall built and chiseled features. If not for the frown that was etched on his forehead, he might be even good looking. Scratch that, the guy was good looking, frowning or not.

She restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Calcaneal fracture sure must hurt like a bitch, but that's not something to be so maniacal of. Sure, he could not exert pressure for a few weeks on his bad leg, but with physiotherapy and good healing, he would be back like brand new. She knew her patient felt like being rendered to the bed was like the end of the world, but really, others had it worse.

Flashing another tight smile, she hung the board back at the foot of the bed. "I leave you alone for now. I'll tell a nurse to help clean you up."

With that said, she walked to the door and exited.

XXXXX

Sakaguchi Ayumi was just another regular girl.

She had always dreamed of becoming a doctor. To heal and to treat came as a second nature to her. She loved catering to her patients and listening to their complaints while she did her best to improve their condition.

But being with the tall man in the last ward for the last five minutes gave her all the indication that medicine sometimes can be the wrong choice for someone as quick-tempered as she was.

Heaving a long sigh, she took a place behind the front counter before grabbing another patient's file.

"Why the long face, Sakaguchi?"

Ayumi shrugged without even looking up. "Nah. Am just tired, that's all," she replied. She pulled a pen from her labcoat and started jotting some vitals on the report.

Kawasaki Jun plopped down on a seat next to his colleague. He grinned as he took a peek on her face. "You never sigh, man. Something's wrong. What you got?"

She shrugged again, shoving a pile of files on to the table to him. "Osteophytes, knee-joint replacement, a broken arm and a calcaneal fracture," she summarized for him as she browsed through another file. "What are you doing here in ortho, man? Is endocrine that free or something?" she inquired, finally lifting her face to him.

Jun raised an eyebrow. "You got a calcaneal fracture," he repeated, trying to reconfirm with Ayumi.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Is the patient's name by any chance Takahashi?"

She wrinkled her nose, remembering. "Yeah, precisely. Your friend or something?"

Jun whistled. He patted her squarely on the head. "Ha, I wish. Don't you have any idea who he is?"

She frowned. "Am I supposed to recognize him?"

"Don't you ever fangirl for once in your life?" Jun asked again, bewildered.

Ayumi laughed, wrinkling her forehead in confusion. "No."

"She's a lost cause, Jun. Of course she doesn't have any idea who Takahashi Ryousuke is," a nurse with a tag read Yamada chirped in as she approached the duty-nurse post.

Ayumi stood up quickly after hearing Yamada's voice. "Hana-san, sorry for troubling you with the mess in Takahashi-san's room," she apologized, bowing her head slightly.

Hana chuckled at the younger woman as she waved her apology off. "Ayumi-chan, you don't have to be so formal. It's my duty after all."

"But he's an infuriating man, don't you think so? Who would waste such a perfectly good breakfast? Kids in Namibia and Angola are starving to death for a spoonful of rice for goodness' sake," Ayumi grumbled, taking her seat back. "He thinks he's in the first-class ward everybody is rendered as his slave? Someone needs a kick of reality on the backside."

"Ne, ne, Ayumi-chan. You need to take a chill pill," Jun said cheekily in a high-pitched girly tone. He slapped Ayumi's back before bursting out laughing. "I believe you're the first girl who labels him infuriating and feels the need to kick his backside. Other girls have different adjective in mind and they definitely have other plans for his backside too," he added, wriggling his eyebrows.

"Chill pill? That was the first time a patient screamed at me and you told me to take a chill pill?" she repeated. "I'll tell you what to do with your freaking chill pill. You can take it and shove it up his ass," she muttered.

Hana shook her head, trying to control her giggle. She had been working with Ayumi for close to two months now, and never once she saw the girl lost her temper in the hospital compound. Most of the patients in the ortho ward loved the young doctor, be it the elderly or the kids.

"Ayumi-chan, you have to understand, that poor guy is indeed in pain," Hana tried reasoning.

"So he felt knocking down the tray would somehow deflect the pain or something?" Ayumi replied, raising an eyebrow. "He's an adult, he can't place the blame on his pain. Some kids walked in with multiple scoliosis and I didn't see you sweeping their ward floor after a breakfast gone wrong."

Jun smiled. "You have a point, chick. But you also have to understand that being in that room means it is some kind of a restriction to him."

Ayumi rolled her eyes. "Oh, he'll live. Calcaneal fracture won't kill him."

"It won't kill him but it will certainly kill his career," Jun replied helpfully.

"What is he? A triathlon athlete or something?"

"You really have no idea, do you?"

"No, I do. I just love faking stupidity when I'm annoyed," Ayumi replied sarcastically, earning a chuckle from Hana again.

"He's Takahashi Ryousuke, one half of the famous Takahashi brothers."

Ayumi stared at Jun blankly.

"The leader of the Project D and Redsuns of Akagi?"

Ayumi chewed her lips.

"Also the first son and heir to the Takahashi Daisuke, the director of the hospital?"

Ayumi gulped. _Shit_.

XXXXX

_Yeah, so he practially owns the hospital but who gives a shit?_ Ayumi decided as she pushed open the door to the ward 6A.She was contemplating exchanging patients with Mahoto sensei but on what grounds? _The patient is an ass and oh yeah, I think he's going to sack my ass anyway for my performance yesterday so why don't we just limit the confrontations to a minimum as to avoid suicide victims being found within the hospital compound?_

Right.

She squared her shoulders, determined. Her first strategy was to make amend, although she believed for a fact that she didn't do anything wrong. She looked up to see the man sitting on his bed with a faraway expression on his face. She gulped.

"Good evening, Takahashi-san. How are we faring this evening?" she spoke, trying to sound formal yet friendly.

Ryousuke lifted his gaze from the window and settled it on the young doctor. She really was something else. It was a rare sight to see a woman doctor in pants in Japan. Her labcoat was of the typical cotton material, nothing fancy. It was left unbutton on top of her violet sweater. Her long hair was pulled up in a messy bun held together with a pair of chopstick. A stethoscope dangled from the labcoat pocket and her ID which should be clipped at the neck of the white garment was hanging from her pant pocket instead.

She was breaking a dozen rules in his father's deontology book but she looked like she couldn't care less.

"You didn't come for the afternoon check up," Ryousuke noted.

Ayumi shrugged. "I kept my end of the deal. I promise to stay out of your face til this evening and I thought you'd be happy about it," she replied.

"That's very unethical of you to request for Mahoto's sensei's help to assess me this afternoon. Whatever that happens between you and your patient should be kept professional, don't you think?" Ryousuke sneered, lifting an eyebrow.

Sighing dramatically, Ayumi scribbled away on Ryousuke's personal file. "Well, here in Mabisha General we like to keep our patients' best interest at heart. If my patient requested me to drop out of his sight, I would oblige. But I won't leave without taking the responsibility and assign another temporary doctor for him," she answered.

She pulled out her torchlight and went into the routine checkup of his pupil narrowing ability. He squinted at the light shone in his eyes.

"Now, you would understand that better than anybody since you own the hospital and everything, right?" she continued, looking directly at him.

He looked back, unaffected.

She flashed a forced smile. "How are you feeling? Are you comfortable with your foot position?" she resumed the polite act.

He stared at her.

She waited for any reaction. Sensing none, her lips pulled into a tight grim line. "Okay. As your doctor, I can say that your foot is healing exceptionally well. But I am worried about you being in bed all the time. As a physician you know that being immobile for such a long period of time can be bad for you."

His stare grew colder by the second. "What are you suggesting?"

She walked closer to the bed. "Takahashi-san, you need to move around in order to improve the blood circulation in your legs. Besides, being rendered to the bed like this can decrease your immunity and may lead to nosocomial infection," she spoke, gazing directly into his eyes. "You know this as much as I do, Takahashi _sensei_."

Her only feedback was a small grunt.

"This condition is not permanent. You are starting physiotherapy in a few days after your operation wound is fully healed. You will undergo a series of intensive physical therapy and before you know it, you'll be back on your own two feet again."

Ryousuke dropped his gaze. This girl totally had no clue.

"I don't mean to intrude, Takahashi-san. I hope you will be strong."

She waited for a response.

Pursing her lips, she clipped the progress sheet back on the board and slung it back into its place. "If you will allow, tomorrow I will help you adapt to your crutches. We will also start with some basic range-in-motion exercises. Oyasumi-nasai, Takahashi-san."

She bowed slightly and left.


	3. Backing Out

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Hospital is crazy right now so I barely had time to breathe. Anyway, this one is kinda short (?). Hope everybody is not too disappointed with how this one turned out. Don't forget to leave me some pointers, aight? Thank you in advance!_

_Terminology:_

_Peritonitis: (taken from wiki) __inflammation__ of the (the __serous membrane__ which lines part of the __abdominal cavity__ and some of the __viscera__ it contains). Peritonitis generally represents a __surgical emergency_

_To-Dai: the abbreviation to University of Tokyo._

Keisuke frowned. He had turned into the only seemingly available parking space between two sedans only to find a motorcycle perched there. Somebody was still standing by the bike, removing his helmet. Keisuke honked.

"Hey, the motorcycle parking space is over by that side," he shouted as he poked his head outside of his FD.

The motorcycle owner turned around before completely pulling of his full-face. A mass of black hair tumbled down from it, revealing a woman in her early twenties. The lady smiled. "Sorry, sir, the visitor's parking space is over by that side too," she replied, indicating the direction with her hand.

Keisuke wrinkled his forehead. "Are you a worker here?"

"That's my plate on the parking tag so I guess yes, I am," she said, pointing to the yellow paint on the parking outline.

Dumbfounded, Keisuke pulled his head back in and reversed from the parking space. Who drives a bike and parks it among the cars? He peeked at the plate and found it tallied with the parking tag reserved for workers. Sighing, he made it to the visitor's parking space. After locking his car, he jogged into the lobby.

It's been a week since his Aniki has been hospitalized. Everybody was shocked when Ryousuke's FC was rammed by a drunk driver at an intersection. He survived the crash but pulled out with a calcaneal fracture. The medical term was all French to him but he knew it resulted to his Aniki not being able to walk properly for awhile, and maybe not being able to race on tracks anymore forever.

He passed by a few medical personnel who knew him and bowed back at them. He approached the door to his brother's ward and knocked lightly on it before pushing it open.

"Aniki -," he paused, seeing his brother, who was finally out of his bed for the first time that week. "Hey, you're walking!" he exclaimed, feeling his mood lifting up.

Ryousuke raised his gaze to the door where his younger brother was standing. "Keisuke," he noted, gripping the metal handle tightly as he leaned on his good leg for support.

Keisuke swiftly strode to his brother's side. "Aniki, you're looking great," he spoke enthusiastically.

Ryousuke's forehead creased in concentration. He tried to straighten his back and level his feet on the ground, but failed miserably because the moment he set his right foot on the hospital floor, the pain shot up his leg and he winced in pain.

Keisuke panicked. "Aniki, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ryousuke grunted back in reply.

"Ohaiyo gozaimas, Takahashi-san."

Both brothers lifted their heads towards the general direction of the door.

Ayumi bowed slightly as she held the file tightly to her chest. She was not used of getting awkward around her patients, but one thing always has its start. "It's time for your morning check up and bandage change, Takahashi-san," she explained her presence. As if she would voluntarily exist around him, she bit back from saying.

Ryousuke nodded slightly, his approval was the indication for her to step in. She strode in purposefully, her eyes twinkling at the progression of her patient. "You're out of bed!" she delighted. She then turned to face the young man standing next to his patient and smiled. "Sorry to interrupt your visit, sir."

Keisuke frowned. He knew her face was somewhat familiar. He then clicked with recognition. "You were the girl on the motorbike," he questioned, which turned out to be more like a statement.

She bowed her head slightly. "I am Sakaguchi, Takahashi-san's physician for now," she spoke, introducing herself. She extended a hand.

Keisuke lifted an eyebrow. "A doctor? Who rides Kawasaki ZXR 250 to work? Can I see some identification please?"

Noticing her handshake had gone unnoticed, she withdrew her hand to her side. She smiled slightly while unclipping her work ID from her pant pocket. "Here you go. Do you need to see my degree too?"

Ryousuke cleared his throat as he plopped back onto his bed.

"Sorry, Aniki," Keisuke muttered. He took a slight glance at the ID before the lady clipped it back to her pocket. Sakaguchi Ayumi. He noticed her long hair was up in a messy bun. And who would have thought underneath the leather jacket she was sporting earlier was a soft green sweater worn over a pair of black slacks. She might not look her girliest, but nobody would have an inkling that the lady rode a 250cc motorbike to work.

Ayumi cleared her throat, trying to gather her frying senses. Nobody had questioned her mode of transportation to work before. She knew it was coming the moment she recognized the blond hair of the younger Takahashi. But she guessed the genes had to run somewhere, don't they?

"Do you want me to walk you with your progress now or later?" she inquired, in another way translating if it was okay to talk about his health in front of his brother.

Ryousuke nodded. He glanced slightly at Keisuke, who was still scowling at the young doctor. "I would prefer now, if you please," he replied.

Ayumi nodded. "Your morning vitals show nothing out of ordinary," she spoke. "In fact, you are healing exceptionally well. I have talked to the physio people and they told me you'll be good for their department in a week's time. Before that, we have to run another picture of your foot. Now, would you like to do the dressing now or later?" she asked, lifting her gaze to Keisuke. "Of course you can be present there, sir," she added.

Keisuke shuddered. He had never been good with gore and blood, although three quarter of his family members are medical doctors. He glanced briefly at his brother. He wanted to be there for his Aniki, to support him even though his presence seemed insignificant. "Err, sure…"

"Don't kid yourself, Keisuke," Ryousuke cut in. He looked up at his expectant physician. "It's alright, we can go now."

Ayumi obliged as she grabbed the wheelchair by the window and wheeled it near to the bed.

"But Aniki -."

"I'll meet you for breakfast at the café."

XXXXX

"Do you know what you're doing there?"

Ayumi grinned slightly as she purposely exerted extra pressure on the wound with the cotton ball. "Including the two times during final year, this is my third attempt at handling surgical wound," she said casually as she threw the soggy cotton ball into a nearby wastebasket.

"What?"

"Relax. This is my second month in ortho and surgery was my last post. I've even done peritonitis before," she responded, chuckling slightly at the sight of Ryousuke's somewhat pallid face.

"I've never seen you around in the surgery ward," Ryousuke noted. He grimaced in pain as the doctor poured some hydrogen peroxide on the wound. "You should have warned me about that, you know."

Ayumi raised an eyebrow. "About what? The peroxide? You're a doctor, don't expect me to treat you like you are not one," she replied. "And to answer to your question, I'm a To-Dai brat."

"That explains a lot of things."

"You're cocky, you know that?"

"And you're not being professional. A doctor who is hospitalized is also a patient."

"I don't argue with that. What I don't agree on is how you somehow immediately forget the fact that you are still a doctor despite being hospitalized," she replied, tearing open a packet of fresh sterile gauze.

He was silent as he watched her remove the sutures on his ankle. A strand of dark brown hair fell to cover her left eye.

"Later on before lunch we'll start with some range-in-motion exercise. Nurse Kaede will help you with it," she spoke, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm not ready for it."

"Your wound has closed up, Takahashi-san."

"Give it another week."

She stopped from cutting the silk thread which had been holding his operation wound together. Her face was stoic. "Do you like the hospital bed that much?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're on the road to recovery but you don't seem too excited about it."

"Have you ever gotten your heel fractured before, Sakaguchi sensei?"

"No -."

"Then, I rest my case."

Ayumi frowned. She stared at the tiled floor for a moment before resuming with the scissors and forceps. "I have a ten-year old, complicated femoral fracture in an MVA. He started walking back after just two months," she relayed. She dabbed an iodine ball on the wound.

"Very touching," he replied in a monotone voice.

"You know what, you can stop acting like the world is about to end just because you fractured a heel," she responded, throwing the cotton ball into the wastebasket with a force.

He raised an eyebrow. "You should just do your job and mind your own business."

"Your health is my job. And I can't do my job because you keep rejecting my consult."

"What I decide to do with my well-being is none of your business, Sakaguchi sensei."

"You know, for being a medic you sure are one hell of a crack head."

"Besides, I don't take medical advice from a non-competent houseman officer."

"Is that the case?"

"Well, you could say it is."

XXXXX

"Hey."

Keisuke looked up from nursing his cup of coffee. "Hey, babe," he greeted as a pair of cherry lips met his cheek.

Kyoko pulled the chair next to him and sat down. Her eyes darted around the bustling cafeteria. "Where's your brother?"

"Aniki's still up there changing his dressing," Keisuke answered, smiling tightly.

Kyoko's eyes twitched at the thoughts of forceps and blood. "Ick. And you chickened out?" she taunted, smiling devilishly.

"Hey, he told me that it was okay," Keisuke answered defensively.

"How is he?"

"Doing better, I guess. He's finally out of bed today."

Her eyes widened. "Really? That's great!" she exclaimed, her voice was equally excited.

He flashed a small smile. "Yeah, I reckon. At least he got some color back to his face."

"You think he'd be out of hospital soon?"

"Can't really tell. He's been awfully quiet about it."

Kyoko sighed. She hugged her handbag tightly to her chest, looking for a source of comfort. "Man, who would have thought something like this would take place last week?"

He didn't respond for awhile. Stirring his coffee mindlessly, he coughed before answering. "I think there's no point looking back now. Aniki wouldn't like that."

"I know."

"He's putting that barrier up again. Sometimes I don't know whether the tough act is for real or just to put others at ease. Although he's my brother, sometimes I think we are far too different to be related. He's taking everything with such cool exterior, I don't know if I could pull it myself."

Kyoko pondered for awhile. Her eyes met the dark browns of his. "Keisuke… Of course, it's never what meets the eye. He's your Aniki, we know how he always is. He's being strong for all of you. We just need to help and support him come hell or high water."

"Hell or high water, huh?" he resounded, tapping quietly on the table.

"Yeah, I got your back too, like how you got Ryousuke's."

"I hope I won't fuck up."

"You wont, trust me."

He gave her a grateful smile. He knew she would always be there, no matter how messed up he was. "Thanks, Kyoko."

A sudden throat clearing disrupted their reverie. Both Keisuke and Kyoko whirled around in their seats to find Ryousuke being wheeled into the café by a nurse. He bowed his head apologetically. "Sorry for the long wait."

"Aniki! No, it's cool. We were just talking," Keisuke replied, standing on his feet. He nodded curtly to the nurse. "Thank you, I'll take it from here."

XXXXX

Six thirty pm. She's late for the evening check up.

Suddenly the door burst open.

About time, he thought.

But then, a frown replaced his impassive exterior.

"Konbanwa, Takahashi-san. I am Mahoto, the new medical officer assigned for your case."

Ryousuke's frown dissipated. He'd be damned to show if he was disappointed.


End file.
